Reference pagesProof types
Reference
Access activity
If you sell something the customer downloads, logs into or uses online, the record of them doing it is the evidence the bank asks for by name. This guide covers what counts as access activity, what the bank receives, where to find your log, how to add it in the app, and what to leave out.
When access activity is needed
Access activity answers one question: after paying, did the customer actually use what they bought? For a digital product that is the whole case.
| Dispute type | What the log can show | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Did not make this purchase | The download or login came from the same address or device as the order, or from an account the customer had used before | Strong, and one of the few things that count as compelling evidence for this type |
| Not received (digital) | The file was downloaded, or the account was used, after the payment | Often decisive |
| Not as described | The customer used the product for days or weeks before disputing | Strong |
| Canceled | Use continued after the claimed cancellation | Strong |
The card networks spell out what makes a log compelling for a digital purchase: what was downloaded or used, the date and time, and at least two of the following: the customer's IP address and the device's location at the time of the order; the device's ID or name; the name and email address on the customer's profile; proof the profile was set up and verified before the order; proof your site or app was accessed on or after the order date; proof the same device and card were used in an earlier, undisputed order.
You do not need all of them. Two, with a date and time, is the bar.
What the bank receives
Unlike most evidence, access activity is filed as text, not as a file. The bank's field for it is a text field, and the providers describe what belongs in it the same way: IP addresses, the matching timestamps, and the recorded activity.
So the app files your log as rows, and shows the same rows on the evidence page:
| Column | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Date and time of the event, with the time zone | 2026-03-14 09:12 UTC |
| Address | The IP address the event came from | 203.0.113.7 |
| Event | What happened, in your log's own words | downloaded invoice-template.pdf |
If you have a server log file, the app renders the relevant rows into the additional-files slot rather than attaching the raw file. The text field still carries the rows, because that is the field the bank reads.
Where to find your log
| If you sell through | Look for | It usually has |
|---|---|---|
| A course or membership platform | The student's or member's activity report, login history or progress page | Logins and lessons viewed, with dates; sometimes IP |
| A download delivered by an app or plugin | The order's download log or delivery report | Download time and IP address per attempt |
| Your own site or app | Server access logs, or your app's event log, filtered to the customer's account | Time, IP, the URL or action |
| Software with license keys | The activation record | Activation time, machine name or ID, IP |
| A subscription | Login history for the account | Login times and IPs over the subscription period |
Filter to the customer's account or email before you copy anything. Ten lines about this customer are worth more than a thousand about everyone.
How to add it in the app
- Open the dispute and find the Access activity row in the proof panel.
- Paste the log as it is, one event per line. You do not need to reformat it.
- Add a line of your own if the log does not say what the product is: "Customer's account: mia@example.com. Product: Invoice template pack, order #5200."
One example line sits under the box so you can see the shape: 2026-03-14 09:12 UTC, 203.0.113.7, downloaded invoice-template.pdf.
The row's status updates as soon as the rows have what the bank asks for. Preview it: what you see is what the bank will read.
What to leave out
| Leave out | Why |
|---|---|
| Everyone else's traffic | Filter to this customer first. A log of the whole site proves nothing about one order and buries the lines that do. |
| Screenshots of a dashboard | The field is text. A screenshot goes to the additional-files slot and loses the label that says what it is. Copy the rows instead. |
| Events before the payment | Browsing before buying is not use of the product. Keep the rows from the order time onward, plus the order itself. |
| Guesses | If your platform does not record IP addresses, say so in your own line rather than filling the column. |
If you have no log
Some platforms keep no access record. Then this row stays a gap, and the case rests on the other rows: the order's own IP and device, the customer's profile and history, and your communication with them. Consider turning on access logging for future orders; for digital products it is the evidence the networks name first.
Provider notes
| Provider | The field | Limits it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | access_activity_log, text | All text evidence together under 150,000 characters |
| Shopify Payments | access_activity_log, text | Mirrors the same field |
Stripe's own description of the field: "Any server or activity logs showing proof that the customer accessed or downloaded the purchased digital product. This information should include IP addresses, corresponding timestamps, and any detailed recorded activity."
Where this comes from: the networks' and processors' own words on access activity.
Do The Proof drafts dispute responses for Shopify stores.
You pay when a dispute is won. Not before.